Comparative Study on the Phytoconstituents and Antimicrobial Analysis of Jatropha curcas Leaf and Stem Bark

Abstract

Most of the natural substances found in plants are used extensively for human well-being and the treatment of numerous diseases. Plants are a rich source of these products. The medicinal plant Jatropha curcas has been used to treat a number of diseases, including skin infections. This study compares the antibacterial activities of Jatropha curcas against some selected clinical isolates and the phytoconstituents present in the leaf and stem bark. The bark of the leaf and stem was macerated successively in n-hexane for 72 hours each. Six clinical isolates were subjected to the antibacterial susceptibility test by preparing discs with a standard dose of Jatropha caurcas extract in hexane. The result shows that the leaf and stem bark extract contains cardiac glycosides, steroids, alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, triterpenes and saponins. The analysis shows that 20 phytochemicals were present in the leaf extract of Jatropha curcas and 18 in the n-hexane extract. The highest amounts of flavonoids were found in the leaf and stem bark of Jatropha curcas, with resveratrol reaching 39.200 g/g in the leaf and 39.586 g/g in the stem bark. The amounts of heart glycoside (4.120 g/g) and sapogenin (42.276 g/g) in leaves were greater than in stem bark, which contained cardiac glycoside (3.950 g/g) and sapogenin (42.136 g/g, respectively). Steroid concentrations in stem bark were likewise greater (26.003 g/g) than in leaves (25.650 g/g). At a minimum inhibitory concentration of 10mg/L, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella enterica were more susceptible to the n-hexane extract of Jatropha carcus stem bark than Bacillus licheriformis, Micrococcus roseus, and Bacillus subtilis. The n-hexane extract of leaf and stem bark demonstrates equal sensitivity based on a 22.3mm zone of inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus and Citobacter murliniae. According to the findings of the study, active metabolites with considerable therapeutic advantages are present in both leaf and stem bark, which is critical for the pharmaceutical industries.